Lacking in latency

The ULLtraDIMM SSD, developed in partnership with Diablo Technologies, features flash technology on the DRAM memory channel, adding to SanDisk's existing flash offerings. It is available in 200GB and 400GB capacities.

The storage solution uses the DIMM form factor, and offers scalability without impacting latency, making it ideal for high-frequency trading, transaction processing, virtualisation and cloud computing.

The SSD also comes with the Guardian Technology Platform, which provides a slew of flash management and enterprise security features, including FlashGuard, DataGuard and EverGuard.

Scalability and IBM support

"The SanDisk ULLtraDIMM SSD was designed to expand the reach of ultra-low latency flash storage throughout the data center and scale to meet the requirements of any enterprise application, no matter how bandwidth or capacity intensive," said John Scaramuzzo, SVP and GM of Enterprise Storage Solutions at SanDisk.

Scaramuzzo also sees the use of DIMM slots, usually reserved for memory, on the motherboard as an innovative way to deploy flash technology in a scalable way to enterprise servers without needing significant investment in new infrastructure.

As a vouch of confidence for the new SSD, IBM will be using the technology under the eXFlash brand name, designed for use with its System x3850 and x3950 X6 servers.

Benchmark tests taken by IBM found that the SSD achieved an industry record write latency as low as 5-10 microseconds.